


Anytime But Now

by SlytherClawLuv



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Short Stories, what if
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-07
Updated: 2020-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:35:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,712
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26879065
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlytherClawLuv/pseuds/SlytherClawLuv
Summary: Satisfying the plunny monsters hiding amongst the readers of my story 'Anyone But Me'.  You know who you are...Usual disclaimer that JKR owns everything.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 6
Kudos: 5





	1. Author's Note

Hello There Dear Reader!

This will end up being a collection of short stories that answer some hypothetical "what ifs" you may have from my work in progress: Anyone But Me (and the planned sequels). So far I only have one to share, but I am sure that will change since my readers are awesome at leaving me plunnies that keep me awake at night! ABM is not required reading but it might help to give you some background information that you find interesting. * _cough_ * Go read it! * _cough_ *

There are no planned triggers to list, unless you are not a fan of the Dramione pairing. Oh, and there could be lemony freshness sprinkled throughout if that isn’t your jam! In the event that this changes in the future I will list the triggers in another Author’s Note at the beginning of the story/chapter. That way you are able to make the decision to skip anything too provoking for you.

As always, I hope you enjoy, and let me know what you thought!

Much love,  
SlytherclawLuv


	2. Playing Games: Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A little something something dedicated to Mayamelissa who gifted me with the plot bunny for this one! I hope your early birthday present was worth the wait!
> 
> This is part one of three. The next two parts will be posted on Thursdays in the following weeks, so do all the good stuff like following and subscribing that way you get the updates. Also, keep an eye on Anyone But Me, there will be new chapters shared there soon!
> 
> Without further fanfare…
> 
> What if Hermione had decided to ask Draco to Slughorn's Christmas party in Chapter 17 instead of sticking with McLaggen?

Ugh... Why couldn't those two just _stop_?! She couldn't even eat a meal without being forced to witness Ron and Lavender as they slobbered all over each other! She had been staring down into her stew, trying to stop the vomit that threatened to rise, when Parvati Patil looked up and acknowledged her. "Oh... Hi Hermione!"

The other girl was overly enthusiastic in her approach, which probably stemmed from guilt brought on by laughing at Ron's cruel jokes about her earlier. She didn't want to be forced to deal with any persisting issues with the witch so she smiled back at her. "Hi Parvati! Are you going to Slughorn's party tonight?"

"No invite." She replied dejectedly. Hermione was surprised someone hadn't asked her. While her taste in friends was questionable at best, she was a decent person and very beautiful... "I'd love to go, though. It sounds like it's going to be really good... You're going, aren't you?"

"Yes, I'm supposed to…" She trailed off as she looked over Parvati's shoulder and saw Draco hunched over his supper, ignoring the animated conversation his surrounding friends were engaged in. He must have felt her eyes on him because he looked up and blankly stared back at her inquisitive scrutiny.

After a long stretch of silence Parvati glanced over her shoulder. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary she turned back and cleared her throat in an attempt to get her attention. "Hermione?"

"I…" She broke eye contact with the sullen boy across the hall and looked at the other witch again. "I'm supposed to meet Cormac at eight."

"Cormac McLaggen, you mean?" Parvati asked, seemingly astonished at the freely offered morsels of gossip she was being given.

Out of the corner of her eye Hermione watched with a weird satisfaction as Ron disentangled himself from Lavender at the mention of the Gryffindor he had come to hate. She gave a noncommittal shrug and took another bite of food. "Yes…"

"Are you going out with him then?" The girl across from her asked without missing a beat.

Hermione hesitated for a second but watched as Ron turned pale. If she was being honest with herself, she enjoyed having that kind of power over him. Last night before falling asleep she had realized what the jealousy he had exhibited must mean... He was regretting his choice…

The pettiest and most spiteful parts of her wanted to rub the presumed relationship in his face. It would serve him right after the way he had been acting over the last handful of weeks, but she couldn’t bring herself to affirm the question. Instead she chose candor, and yet somehow still proved that she was far less altruistic than she hoped, "Oh, no! We are just going as friends. The person I _really_ wanted to bring isn’t available.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” The words were correct but Parvati looked anything but apologetic- she was practically gloating over the denial. It appeared as if Hermione had inadvertently stumbled upon a secret crush…

“Sometimes we don’t get everything we want, do we?” A quick glance down the crowded table to where the tall cocky wanker sat with his friends was all she needed to confirm her assumption. She smiled over the lunch spread at the witch in an unspoken understanding and gave her own brief look towards Ron and Lavender’s direction in mock camaraderie.

Parvati pursed her glossed lips for a few moments as she stared back at her and then answered quietly, “No, I suppose we don’t...”

A glowering Lavender took the bait and decided to rudely interrupt their conversation. “Awww, Poor Hermione... Are we all supposed to sit around and feel sorry for you because you are a scaredy-cat?”

“Honestly, when did I ever say that?” Hermione asked calmly.

“You didn’t have to! Why bring it up if you didn’t want some attention over it?” Such an uppity harpy, the girl couldn’t stop. Not when she thought she had the chance to publicly humiliate her for the second time that day. 

The attempt to point out her “lie” was laughable but she just shrugged and looked down at the contents of her bowl, feigning resignation. When in truth she was poking at the possessive shrew. Letting her think she was subdued and maybe even gearing up to shed some more tears if provoked. 

Buying the act easily enough and thinking she saw a soft spot that would cause the most damage, Lavender kept on. “Exactly! But I think the most important question to ask yourself is _why_ you didn’t ask your ‘ _secret crush_ ’ anyway?”

“What do you mean? Why would I have asked him if I knew he was otherwise disposed?” 

“Well, it isn’t very fair for him not to know about your true feelings.” The twit looked over at a rattled-looking Ron out of the corner of her eye. A smug smirk spread along her lips as she continued. “It might change things for him.”

There it was. The inevitable ultimatum… The one that had been building since that night after the Quidditch match. The one that had the ability to completely demolish so many relationships. The same one that was no longer necessary...

Hermione gave an awkward half-hearted laugh and shook her head. “Oh, I highly doubt that.”

“For some funny reason… So do I, but that wouldn’t matter to _me_ if I _really_ cared about the guy.” Lavender pressed, her overconfidence radiating from each word.

She pretended that she was mulling over the advice and looked down into her bowl, fiddling with the thick congealed contents that had started to get cold during the conversation. For a second her hand shook, betraying a smidgen of genuine fear at the sudden plan her brain haphazardly came up with. There was little time to work out anything other than her immense desire to somehow carry it out before the weight of three pairs of eyes suddenly felt stifling and she had to make a hasty decision.

“You know what, Lavender, you are right!” Hermione smiled and locked gazes with the girl for a moment of tense challenge. She didn’t look away until she called out loudly to the wizard she was supposed to be spending her night with. “Cormac! I’m sorry but I can’t go with you to the party tonight, for so many reasons neither of us have the time for right now.”

McLaggen looked confused but quickly recovered due to the audience that surrounded them both. “Okay…”

“Fortunately, I happen to know someone who would like to go, if you wouldn’t mind taking her that is.” She offered up quickly, trying to smooth over any bad taste left in his mouth from the rejection.

“Who?” 

Hermione knew the high level of risk she was taking but hoped the boy’s predictable love for pretty girls won out over any hurt feelings. She nodded across the table. “Parvati…”

Once again it took him a moment to catch up but when he did he gave an approving nodd. “Yeah, sure! I mean… If you are sure on the account of such short notice?”

This time it was Parvati who was slow on the uptake, eventually she registered that his question had been asked of her and not Hermione. A blush lit up her tawny skin in a brilliant shade of pink as she stumbled over her words. “Me? Oh! Ummm… If you… Yes! Yes, of course I would love to go… With you.”

The exchange was made all the cuter when the witch slid down so she could ask Cormac about his dress robes so she could attempt to coordinate with him. As much as she wanted to enjoy her successful crack at matchmaking, they were no longer Hermione’s concern. Not when the smallest of her hurdles was out of the way. She turned her attention back to Lavender and Ron. “I think they will have fun, don’t you?”

Lavender’s responding glare was answer enough. Even though she was the one with the most to lose with this whole “challenge”, the dirty blonde turned her intense scowl on Ron as if her anger could somehow cement him to her side.

Unperturbed, Hermione sat there patiently and waited for Ron’s fearful stare to shift towards her. When it finally did, those horrid little parts of her that she tried to squash cried out with triumph. He looked absolutely sick at the very public choice he thought was coming. He was as pale as a ghost and the skin around his mouth was tinged a funny green color. She let the seconds tick by, relishing in his obvious discomfort, knowing it was all for naught. And she ended up being the one to have to break the tense hush between them, “Sooo…”

With her attention solely on him she sensed rather than saw as Lavender repositioned, quite obviously taking his hand in hers underneath the table. A last ditch attempt at dominance, no doubt. Ron visibly swallowed but made no move to speak. It was almost laughable at how they hung on her every breath now. They both knew her choice was about to blow a huge frickin’ hole in their worlds, they were just wrong about how.

Fed up with pretense and no longer wanting to give herself much time to contemplate the ramifications of her next actions, she cleared her throat and transferred her scrutiny to Lavender before she gave her a sugary-sweet smile. “Thank you so much for the insight, like I said before- you are one-hundred percent correct. I shouldn’t be afraid to do the right thing. No matter what happens…”

For the third and fourth time she watched confusion flush in the faces of those around her and knew deep down that it was only the start. Their looks deepened as she stood up and took a heavy breath to gather her courage. She gave them a stiff nodd and turned away, starting the excruciatingly long walk to her destination. 

One that became longer and longer with each of her determined steps. The burden of questioning eyes following her grew as she veered from her normal path out of the Great Hall and passed both the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables. Of course her descent into “enemy territory” would be noteworthy to the more observant members of the student body. This wasn’t a line she would have ever breached willingly before.

Once she was a few feet from standing in front of where she planned to sit down, she chanced glancing over and searched the crowd of heads and eyes for the only few that mattered. In turn each one came sharply into focus. One right after the other, before eventually settling on the green that were filled with a mixture of horror and doubt. The only thing that stopped the owner from bolting over and seeing what had come over her was the hand that had wrapped tightly around his elbow. It was good Ginny was there to stop him. She was going to be fine! 

She hoped.

Unable to turn back now that she was in the thick of it- she took another deep breath, turned away and sat in a spot that gave her a wide berth from accidentally touching anyone without their consent. A miscalculation that could stop her before any of the hard work had actually begun. She ended up about a foot from the company she had come for. The ten inches between her and the hulking figures of Crabbe and Goyle didn’t leave room for the direct exchange she had wanted.

The conversations closest to her quickly dwindled down to silence as her infiltration was noticed by the surrounding Slytherins. She forced a smile to spread across her lips as she scanned the crowd for their reaction. Gauging the mixture of interest, anger and outright disbelief at her audacity. Nothing felt malicious… Yet. In the end she settled on the only face that showed any type of warmth and spoke clearly, “Hello.”

“Well hello there.” Blaise’s answered back. His amused smirk made it obvious that he didn’t know what to think about her sudden appearance.

“How are you?”

“I’m… stupendous! And yourself?” He played along, acting like they were old friends and this wasn’t a wildly unorthodox visit.

“I am embarrassed, actually.” She admitted. “It shouldn’t have taken me this long to come over here.”

Blaise’s grin deepened. “Oh really?” 

Some of the crowd around them even went back to their own conversations assuming she was there to flirt with the wizard. While others leaned in, eagerly waiting for her humiliation when he dismissed her.

“Yes, you see, I’ve been thinking about the Sorting Hat’s warnings from last year. Quite a bit, actually, and...” Hermione fought with the pleased smirk that wanted to creep onto her face as she watched confusion wash over Zabini’s smug features. Somehow she kept up the friendly smile and continued. “I think it is right.”

“What are you yammering on about now mudblood?” Pansy interrupted, clearly annoyed with her invasion. 

“ _‘For our Hogwarts is in danger. From external, deadly foes. And we must unite inside her. Or we'll crumble from within. I have told you, I have warned you…’_ ” She quoted a small section of the Sorting Hat’s prophetic song in fifth year and then paused. Letting the memory sink in for those still listening before starting again. “Excuse my language but that sounds pretty fucking ominous to me…” 

“You think we should listen to an old pile of rags, that was specifically made to pick out certain features in the brains of children, for premonitions of the future? I really don’t understand how you have duped so many into believing you are anything but a mindless parrot.” Pansy scoffed and rolled her eyes.

Hermione nodded for a second and then made direct eye contact with the girl. Her smile gone. “I think you should trust, not only Salazar Slytherin’s magic, but the other founders as well. They believed it knew what was best for Hogwarts and by extension the rest of Wizarding Britain.” 

Most of the students near her had quieted back down and started to listen again. The ones who didn’t were engaged in whispered conversations, telling those out of hearing range what she was saying. She had a captive audience. It was time to extend the olive branch to the nonvenomous among them... 

“I think that some of you are facing, or are going to face, an impossible choice. And... I think that the majority of you will be pushed one way or another because of how you are treated here in relation to the presumed answer to said choice.” She bit her lip for a second and gathered the courage to speak the next words. “Which isn’t any fairer than the judgements towards those like me and I decided that I am going to do my part to help change those thought processes.”

Hermione chanced a look around and caught the heavy glances thrown between a few of the students near her. Her hands clenched into fists under the table, the feeling of her fingernails digging into the soft flesh of her palms was a welcome distraction from the rising panic that threatened to take over. There was little relief to be found in the fact that wasn’t completely off the mark in trusting Blaise’s confession. She finally allowed herself to look into the steel gaze that she had been avoiding, afraid she wouldn’t be able to think clearly if she got lost in some kaleidoscope of emotion sent her way. 

“So… I would like to formally invite you to Slughorn’s Christmas party tonight...” 

It was like the whole table had taken a collective inhale at her request. The silence that settled was deafening and caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end as they all waited for Draco’s response. His features were blank as he tried to work through the shock of her brazen and very public invitation. Even with the cool indifference she was unwilling to break the eye contact between them. Convinced that if she looked away for too long she would never be able to find her way back. The maze of too many dark eyes, alight with anticipation for her downfall, would have pulverized her resolve to see this through. While Zabini was a toss up, Malfoy destroying her self-confidence was supposed to be a sure thing. What if they were right?

His pale blonde eyebrow darted up playfully but the cold smirk that she had become accustomed after years of his abuse spread along his lips, "What was that Granger? I wasn't paying attention to your dreadful little lecture and couldn't have possibly heard that correctly…"

"You heard me just fine."

"No, I don’t think that I did." 

She glared at him for a moment, reminding herself that he had a part to play. The same as her, except he wasn't able to drop his because she had decided to publicly (and quite randomly) ask him on what amounted to a date. There would have to be a damn good reason for him to accept and she was the one who would have to give it to him.

A sigh, of what she hoped seemed like annoyance instead of the resignation it was, slipped from her lips. "Okay, I am going to _attempt_ to level with you here… I want you to take a look behind me and ask yourself how many of those people think you were involved with what happened to Katie Bell?" 

"Please do enlighten me on why I should give a fairy's ass what any of them think of me?"

"You shouldn’t… Yet many sets of eyes watching still makes for unwanted attention, don’t they?” His responding frown shifted to those behind her and she was grateful that she didn’t have to see just how many students were staring at the back of her head. Taking advantage of the moment of quiet consideration, she pushed further. “Wouldn’t it be better to cast the doubt away now? You know, rather than waiting for the next attack and the inevitable broadening of suspicion against you?”

Draco’s eyes snapped back to hers. “Why do you believe there will be another attack? The hierarchy around here seems quite adamant that it was a one off.”

“And you honestly believe that?” She challenged.

“Let's say that I do. None of you can do a thing about me being here unless you can prove my guilt. Which, unfortunately, will not be happening since I am innocent.” He tagged on the last bit like an afterthought. Something that he should say to placate the masses that were being ignored just a few feet from her back. Some of whom had to be listening closely.

“Have you met the students here, Malfoy? When has the truth ever mattered? Besides they are not the ones you need to convince.” Hermione tilted her head slightly towards the staff table. Not enough to give away what she was doing to the occupants but enough that her intent was clear.

“Fuck them…” One of the goons on her left mumbled, she couldn’t be sure which because they both started guffawing at the simplistic use of profanity. 

“Touche.” She shrugged. “I might hold their opinions in a higher regard than most considering their far reaching influence inside and outside of this school.”

“Influence that is quickly waning where it matters most, grubby worm!” Pansy hissed down the table at her.

“You need some new insults, Parkinson. Your material is getting tired…”

The girl instantly puffed up like a cobra about to strike, her shoulders rising as her head whipped back at the chastisement. “Can I hex this cocky little bitch yet, Draco? _Please?!?_ ”

“Shut up, all of you!” 

Immediately Crabbe and Goyle stopped their sniggering and Pansy deflated. It was almost comical how quickly she was cowed. Silently pouting at the reprimand, the raven-haired witch looked the part of a sad puppy that had been kicked. If Hermione was a better person she might have felt bad for her…

Alternatively, she chose to ignore any reluctant empathy and sighed heavily before disregarding the command. “Look, I don’t… I don’t think you are a bad guy.”

“Bully for you.” Draco smirked snidely, slipping back into the mask. A subtle way of letting her know she wasn’t going to convince him, muchless anyone else, with her current line of thinking.

“A bit of a vain prejudiced dunderhead, sure, but not _evil_ . You have the chance to change all of their perceptions of you, an undoubtedly good thing in your case... What with quitting the Quidditch team, only to end using your spare time to suspiciously sneak around the castle and bring so much attention to yourself that Prefects have been instructed to keep an eye out for you.” She nodded as bits of truth and outright lies easily mixed. “Yes, I believe _you_ could use the good press of a… civil rapport with an abhorrent mudblood.”

Her use of the derogatory term caused his jaw to tighten as he stared back at her. He was silent as he gauged her words, determining if it was enough to placate those who needed to be fooled the most. 

She decided to push even further, giving him every reason she could think of to excuse an acceptance. “Besides, if I am wrong and you really are some pint-sized Death Eater in disguise… You could always use the opportunity to slip me some Veritaserum and learn all my deep dark secrets as one of the best friends of Harry Potter.”

Hermione looked away from the responding glare and found the amused smile of Blaise waiting for her. He sat there and shook his head in disbelief at her, keeping himself separate from the nonverbal conversation happening between Draco, Pansy and Theo. It didn’t take long for the pause to become uncomfortable and he mocked whispered. “You should have gone with me…”

“And why is that?” She asked, grinning at his innate bravado. The suave flirty persona was as intrinsic as breathing for him.

“Because _I’m_ the one who needs help amending relationships with the other houses, Granger.” Blaise teased. “Too many hurt feelings, you see.”

“Well… That sounds awful like a personal problem to me, Zabini.” 

“Alas, M’Lady does speak the truth... The sirens are mine to slay.”

She rolled her eyes at the continued use of the nickname from the party and spoke without thinking. “Get used to it.”

The implication that this wouldn't be the last time for her to tell him the truth settled around them both. And she found that she was oddly thankful for the unlikely geniality… Even if Draco ended up declining, she had planted the seed on which she would count on later. Blaise Zabini was a tangible example of why it could be worth it for the members of The Order, young and old alike, to be more open minded when it came to their rivals. He was willing to face the possible societal ostracization that could follow by being the first to publicly align himself to her supposed “cause”. 

She wondered if he would feel the same way if he knew that her hope to find common ground between Slytherin and the rest of the houses was not only insane, but an incredibly selfish maneuver on her part. It had been a potentially useful byproduct of her desire to be able to bring _him_ to Slughorn’s stupid party. Secondary to her need to out their developing relationship in a way that she could effectively spin when questioned about her motives.

Growing restless because of where the self-analysis was heading, she caught Draco's attention and raised an eyebrow. "So what is it going to be, Malfoy?"

He nodded slowly as he openly appraised her. “Okay Granger, I will lower my standards and agree to go with such a brash escort, on one condition…"

"And what is that?"

"Tell me what you gain from all this?" He demanded as he gestured vaguely around him.

His question made her pause for a second. Unfortunately, the truth wasn't an adequate answer by anyone’s standards- muchless her own. So she let a pale imitation of his teasing smirk settle on her lips before she responded. “One day I will be able to look back on this moment and know that _I_ was the bigger person.” 

“Hmmmm…” Distracted, his hardened gaze slipped over her shoulder and stayed focused on whatever was happening. When he eventually answered there was a sardonic edge to the way he drawled. “I do hope it will be worth it for you…”

Unable to avoid looking any longer, she surveyed the crowd of students. Instinctively she searched for Harry and Ron because she needed to see their reactions first... Everyone else would understand her logic in the end. The war was going to come to the doors of Hogwarts in one way or another, and they were going to need to marshal as many allies from within as possible. But those two would be the hardest to convince…

Hermione watched quietly as Ron disappeared out the doors. Lavender and Parvati followed closely at his heels with their heads together, whispering about the damage she had caused, no doubt. Harry must have decided to face whatever she was doing head on and was making his way over. Shoulders taunt and his hand in the pant’s pocket where he kept his wand, she knew things could immediately go sour if she allowed him to confront her in front of the Slytherins.

“It will be.” She said hurriedly as she gave one last shaky smile in Draco’s direction and then scrambled to her feet.

Ready to do whatever it would take to calm the outrage she had provoked in her best friend...


	3. Playing Games: Part Two

“Harry… Let’s go!” Hermione demanded. She had placed herself directly in front of him, stopping his progress before he could within hearing distance of the group she had just left. Knowing the high chance of groundless accusations being thrown around, she knew that it was imperative to have any conversation with him privately.

He glared behind her, his green eyes flashing with malice. "What did you say to them?"

"Not here, not now." She said in her best imitation of Mrs. Weasley when the witch was past the point of yelling. Her words were clipped and concise, leaving no room for negotiation.

Harry's death stare slowly shifted down to her and suddenly becoming the recipient of his anger made her uneasy. The unusual savagery almost caused her to take a cowardly step back in defeat. He slipped his strained fist from his pocket though, letting her know that he had heard her instruction.

"I will explain everything, I promise." She tentatively reached up and breached the invisible barrier that had built up between them in the moments since her initial confrontation. Her fingers wrapped around his wrist, ready to pull him along behind her, if it came to that. "Come with me… We should go and find Ronald."

With one last scathing glance behind her, Harry nodded. "Yeah… Okay."

She quickly guided him away, dropping her grip on his wrist once she felt his resistance give way and she was absolutely sure that he wouldn’t turn back around. Her jaw clenched tight as she was finally able to assess just how many pairs of curious eyes had been alerted to her venture and were watching their departure attentively. Harry’s long and determined tread allowed for her to flee from the weight of expectations without looking like she was a coward. 

They had made it up the first staircase on their long trek to Gryffindor Tower before Harry could no longer contain himself. He abruptly stopped walking, barely giving her the chance to shuffle to a stop so she wouldn’t crash into him, and snapped. “What was that, Hermione?!?”

“Harry! I swear I will tell you everything that you want to know, but it needs to be in _private_.” She said as she stepped around him and continued on the well traveled path to their dorms. There was no need to point out how the scattered groups of friends, who moments before had been obliviously wandering to some destination or another, all stopped to take in the drama unfolding. 

“You can’t…” Harry started, only to realize she had no plans to mollify him by stopping, no matter what he had to say. “Ugh! Fine!”

The sound of him huffing his displeasure every few seconds followed them the whole way up. Sometimes echoing off the stone walls when there was a break in traffic, but she wouldn’t budge. This was not an argument for the general public to overhear and pass around the gossip mill.

Once inside of the warm confines of the entrance to the Gryffindor common room, she stopped and looked around the deserted area. Thankful that the lunch hour provided the sanctuary that she needed in the typically occupied space. Unable to look Harry in the eye, now that she had no choice but to follow through with her plan, she shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and asked. “Do you know where Ron is?”

“He said he was going to finish packing.” His answer was short, offering no additional details.

“Could you… Could you go get him? He should hear what I have to say as well.” 

“From what he mumbled as he was leaving, I do not think he cares much about anything you have to say.” The edge to his tone was cold and she wondered if he was really speaking about himself.

“I was… I mean, I am doing _all_ of us a favor, Harry.” She took a deep breath and gathered the courage to look him in the eye. “I need you to believe me.”

“What are you doing exactly?”

“I am showing the Slytherins, well… some of them, that they don’t have to fall in line to their parents’ beliefs by…” Another deep breath accompanied the internalized scream that echoed in her head as she confessed. “...by taking Draco Malfoy to Slughorn’s party tonight.”

“You are taking… _Malfoy_ … To Slughorn’s party?” His horror spread slowly over his features as he worked over the words. It was as if he had tasted something nasty, and as hard as he tried, he couldn’t figure out what it was.

“Yes.” She swallowed around the painful lump in her throat and then continued. “I’ve been thinking about it for months… How could any of us convince those who might be allies against Voldemort that we would accept them into our ranks? Well… By extending forgiveness and a public offer of civility to the worst among them, of course!”

Harry’s demeanor shifted from horror to confusion to outright concern for her wellbeing in the time it took for her to finish. His words were slow again, this time it seemed for her benefit. “You want to become… _friends_ … with… Draco… Malfoy?”

“I want to become friends with a whole mess of Slytherins, Harry. The Sorting Hat has not been subtle in its warnings about what will happen to Hogwarts if we do not come together...”

He stomped over to the couch and ran his hands through his hair nervously, somehow managing to tousle the already wild mop. He watched closely as she made her way over and sat in her favorite chair, unsure if he was going to run off to Pomfrey for help. They sat there in silence for a few moments as he scrutinized every line of her face, no doubt searching for some sign she had been hit with an obscure curse.

“Look, we both know what Katie Bell’s attack actually means, right?” She reached up and brushed an errant curl away nervously. “The war is already raging within the walls of Hogwarts… We need as many of them as we can get on our side and you know it! I honestly do not see there being a bigger gesture of forgiveness than what I just did… Every single potential ally in their ranks already knows that I am, and by extension others are, willing to offer amnesty.”

“Why didn’t you talk to me about this ‘plan’ first?”

“You would have tried to stop me. And don’t try to tell me that I am wrong, just look at how you and Ronald have responded.” 

"Of course I would have tried to stop you, Hermione. You are putting yourself in danger for no reason!" Harry practically yelled at her, his temper flaring bright.

Getting nowhere with her flimsy logic, she tried another tactic… Begging. "I am not putting myself in danger. It's not like Malfoy is going to kill me in front of a bunch of witnesses. Please, calm down and listen to what I am saying." 

“How do you know that? He has hexed you with a dozen witnesses before…” He pressed, reminding her of the time Draco had caused her front teeth to enlarge.

“Technically he tried hexing _you_ and missed…”

“Like that makes it any better!”

“Only when you are trying to use the mishap as an example of why I should be terrified of a wizard who cannot properly aim.” She fought to keep a straight face when the dig caused a smile to flash across his face, even if it was fleeting. “Besides, I think I can handle the git being obnoxious for the night. Especially when you take into consideration what we will end up gaining in return…”

“There is no way that this is going to work. None of them have ever given us a hint towards wanting to deflect.” 

“We’ve never given them the chance to...” Hermione stated the obvious. “And that isn’t entirely true anyway.”

“Who?” Harry asked as he sagged wearily into the cushioned back of the couch. He was either placated by her explanations or didn’t have the stamina for a drawn out squabbling with her. She couldn’t be sure of which but regardless of the cause- he wouldn’t need much more convincing if she handled herself correctly.

“Blaise Zabini has gone out of his way, multiple times, to be civil with me since we interacted at the festivities last week.” She pulled out her hidden advantage. “And he has verified that he isn’t the only one who would accept some goodwill.”

“Why didn’t you invite him then?”

“What good is there in becoming another conquest on Blaise’s long resume? No… It needed to be Malfoy.” She pushed a little further, hoping the next suggestion was enough to close the deal. Much like it had been earlier. “Harry… What if… What if _he_ decided to deflect? Think about what that could mean for The Order! Can we risk giving up that chance? All because you are scared he will hurt me in a room full of people? Yourself, included.”

The gravity of what she said settled around both of them. Her simple plan to come up with an excuse to spend the night with Draco had turned into a full blown hypothetical surrounding infiltrating the Death Eaters by way of their hated rival…

His sharp green eyes darted from the raging fire that danced directly in front of him back to her. It was evident by his tone that he still wasn’t completely convinced. “Hermione…”

“I am not afraid.” She interrupted. Even if he could persuade her, it was too late. Nothing he had to say could change what was going to happen. Everything had already been set in motion. “I _am_ doing this.”

Harry eyebrows furrowed and he attempted to start again but was brought to standstill in his rebuttal when a familiar high pitched giggle echoed from the stairway up to the boy’s dorms. They both froze, cutting off their exchange to look in the direction it came from. Ron sauntered down the steps with Lavender tucked under his arm, she giggled again before playfully swatting at his chest and whining, “Stop it!”

Hermione blinked slowly as she took in the state of the pair. Their wrinkled clothes and flushed faces matched those of unfortunate partners she had happened upon during Prefect duties and it wasn’t hard to imagine what kinds of activities they had been engaging in. She waited for the flare of disgust at the thought but strangely felt numb at the sight. 

It didn’t take long for Ron and Lavender to notice their audience and he stopped their advancement. Neither of them said anything and for once she found herself grateful to have him angry with her. She didn’t have it in her to deal with yet another round of questioning… 

“I need to go get ready. You can explain it to him, if he cares to hear it.” She said measuredly.

Harry tried to stop her but she walked away from the spectacle, quickly escaping up the weathered steps to the girl’s dorms…

  
  


**-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-\/-**

  
  


For the second time that week she found herself standing in front of a door in the dark dungeons of Hogwarts, trying to decide if she should enter or not. The same dank smell hung in the air. The same wintry chill sent people scurrying to find warmth. The same nervous trepidation had her reeling. Yet, it seemed like everything had changed in that short amount of time... Instead of needing to prove some intangible worth to herself, she now had to attempt to prove Draco Malfoy’s humanity to everyone else.

Despite Hermione’s bold rantingst, it hadn’t taken long for her to become terrified of it all going haywire. The fallout would be irreparable and she would be forced to face her direct responsibility. An outcome that was more plausible than not, and a crucial afterthought she’d ended up having much too late. She had known the choice was stupid, selfish and unscrupulous- but in the adrenaline filled haze it had been warranted. In no way did it register how big of a task she was actually undertaking. 

Unite all of Hogwarts, including the two houses that had nothing but bad blood between them for centuries? Sure, why the hell not!! It wasn't like she had much else going on…

She shook her at her naivety, the ends of her curls tickling the back of her neck adding to the outbreak of goosebumps on the flesh of her exposed arms. Somehow over winter break she would have to figure out a real game plan. Tonight was about making it through the next few hours and keeping Harry from engaging in his proclivity for theatrics when it came to her hero… Neither of which seemed very likely.

Someone clearing their throat interrupted her brooding and Hermione quickly stepped out the way so the elegantly dressed pair could pass by. She hesitated for a second longer and then slipped around the wooden door as it swung back to shut. A quick scan of the scattered groups of people amid the predictable kitschy Christmas decor showed that she was still relatively early. 

Most of the attendees were famous Hogwarts alumni, a fact that had been drilled into the students “lucky” enough to join the Slug Club at their last dinner. This was supposed to be their chance to network and she feared the rounds of lengthy introductions that were bound to ensue if Slughorn found her alone. She spotted Parvati sitting alone at one of the tables on the other side of the room and quickly made her way over.

The girl looked up at her and smiled, “Hi!”

“Hi, would it be okay if I sat with you for a moment?” Hermione asked her cautiously.

“Oh yes, of course. Sit!” Parvati sat up straighter and gestured to the seat next to her.

“Thanks!” 

“No, no… I am the one who should be thanking you.” The dark haired witch’s smile widened. “I was having a blast until Cormac went to get drinks and was distracted by Slughorn.”

She looked over in the direction the girl's eyes shifted and saw that the object of Parvati's affection was caught up with the professor and a group of older wizards. He was in his element and made the whole group crack up laughing at a joke. Hermione nodded. "I can see how running around without an escort is asking for trouble."

"I don't mind... He told me how lucky he is to be able to make these connections before graduation." Parvati said, unwittingly sounding like a broken record. Stuck skipping in the same spot that had been repeated for weeks.

"True…" Hermione trailed off as a handful of sixth year Slytherins entered the room. Hestia and Flora Carrow led the pack on the arms of their eager looking dates. Draco, Blaise and… Theodore Nott followed lazily behind. 

“There is the real trouble…” The girl next to her mumbled, barely concealing her disgust.

Not willing to be pulled into an argument over semantics, she kept quiet and watched as the youngest members of the gathered crowd quieted at the entrance. The older witches and wizards ignored the arrival, either unaware or deliberately disregarding the palatable shift of unease that had fallen around them. If only she could be as disinterested…

Draco’s posse wordlessly wandered over to a table that was as far away from the occupied ones as the room allowed for. Tucked into the corner it had the perfect vantage point to be able to observe the others at their leisure, but made it awkward if they wanted to return the favor. None of them held her attention for long. Not when _he_ was standing there. Openly searching for _her_. 

The moment his eyes met hers she felt the telltale signs of a blush spreading on her cheeks. Trying to cover up the embarrassing betrayal from her own body, she instinctively reached up to brush a curl behind her ear but found no purchase. She had pulled the normal mess up into a tight bun in a desperate attempt to tame it into something presentable without the need for layers of product and charms, leaving her hand to flutter down to the table and her blush to burn even brighter.

Unable to think clearly as she was swept up in the startling grey storm; she sat there entrapped as the relentless waves of carefully crafted indifference, interest, raging anger, longing and skeptical amusement. They all battled against each other, threatening to turn into a hurricane that would rapidly overwhelm her more discerning attributes.

Hermione continued to stare as he made his way over. His unhurried stride gave off the air of patronizing superiority that he had perfected so long ago and the high-end all black dress robes added to the distinguished role he had deemed appropriate for the night. He took no notice of the various sets of eyes that followed him across the room, either drawn in by the glamour or already suspicious of his intention.

Finally, he stopped and stayed standing on the opposite side of the table. Neither one of them spoke as she immediately stood up, pushing the chair back roughly with the backs of her legs. The tension that came from their unbroken look was so heavy and thick that she could hear Parvati squirming to her right.

Slowly his classic smirk settled on his lips and he sneered, “Ready for this, Granger?”

“I am.” She bluffed. “Thank you for asking.”

“Then by all means let us go and join more…” Draco’s gaze shifted from Hermione to Parvati, his smirk turning cold as he finished his sentence. “...preferable company...”

The other girl turned at the waist, her long black hair fell over her shoulder with the movement and acted as a curtain. Shielding her from having to look at him any longer. Parvati glared up at her. “I don’t know why you are convinced there is something to save in any of them. As far as I am concerned you should just let the whole lot rot with their criminal families in Azkaban… But... Good luck Hermione.”

Unsure of how to handle the hostile animosity, she stood there staring at Parvati for a moment. Draco started to reply to the low blow but Hermione interrupted firmly. “That is enough!!”

They both closed their open mouths as Hermione leveled them with seething looks and then made her way around the circular table. She stopped at Draco’s side and snapped up at him, clearly annoyed. “Civil rapport, remember?”

Without giving him time to respond, she stomped towards the table of guarded Slytherins that watched the whole exchange from a distance. It didn’t take long for her to feel the heat radiating from his body as he fell into step next to her. She refused to look over at him but hissed quietly, “What is _wrong_ with you?”

"Habit." 

She heard the laughter in his tone but kept her glare straight ahead. What had made her think _this_ was going to be worth whatever came next?

As soon as they were at their mutual destination Hermione took one of the last remaining seats and irritably smoothed out the skirt of her dress. Draco sat down next to her and stared out at the crowd that was gathering the closer to eight o’clock it became. They didn’t make any pleasantries, both fuming in silence.

Not one to let the uncomfortable atmosphere linger, Blaise spoke up from her left. “Is there trouble in paradise already?”

“Paradise? More like purgatory…” She muttered glumly, glaring at where her hands had come to rest in her lap. 

"Pray tell, what does a Gryffindor Princess need to be purified of…” Blaise asked, his interest peaked by her morose answer.

Hermione looked over at him, ignoring the rest of the audience that was closely following their conversation. “Hope… What about you?”

“That should be quite obvious, no?” When she didn’t respond except to blink, he leaned over so he was close enough that the breathy exhale that came with the single word sent an unwelcomed shiver down her spine.“... _Lust_.”

“Hmmm…” She hummed as a small smile pulled at the corner of her lips at the cliched answer. Knowing his teasing would get worse if she backed down, she turned her head and refused to move so their lips were only a few inches apart when she mock whispered. “Is that why you don’t have a date tonight? Working hard at keeping it in your pants?”

Blaise was the first to pull away, visibly surprised at whatever look Draco was giving the two of them behind her back. He quickly recovered when one of the twins giggled across the table and quirked an eyebrow. “I have a date.”

“Oh really?” 

“He is right here.” The tall wizard attempted to take the hand of Theodore Nott, who shrugged away and sent her baleful glare in response.

She nodded even though she was anything but convinced. “So you two are together then?”

“Why? Does that make you jealous?” Blaise countered with a smirk.

“No, I am intrigued though… I might be able to learn some things from you after all.” Hermione acknowledged, ignoring how she was able to feel Draco’s scrutiny on the back of her head. If he wanted to sabotage everything straight away then she had no reason to engage with him. 

Blaise’s smirk only deepened. “What kinds of things?”

She tilted her head to the side innocently and started ticking off the options on her fingers. “You know… Espionage... Threatening insults… How to keep something that huge confidential around here…”

Draco snorted before interrupting snidely. “That's too bad, we are _not_ offering lessons.”

Blaise rolled his eyes at the rebuke and shrugged. “None of those things can be truly taught anyways... You either have a knack for it or you don’t. The trick is to know your own weaknesses and knowing when to take advantage of others' strengths.”

“Thanks for the vague advice...”

“Okay… Take Theo for example, he knows he isn’t much more than a pretty boy trust fund baby.” Blaise flashed a quick grin in Nott’s direction and then continued. “Takes one to know one right… Anyway… So, what does he do? He anchors himself to those with the _influence_ to get him what he wants. In this instance- _my_ influence. All so that he can keep an eye on a perceived enemy.”

“Which would be me?”

“Of course, he came simply because he doesn’t trust you and used me in the process. Smart bloke, really.”

“Can it, Zabini!” Nott snapped, still openly glaring at her.

“You could have listened to me, but no, I had to give up a sure thing for you to come. I will tell the witch whatever I please, Theo.” Blaise challenged. There was no way to tell if he was more upset by the command or the loss of the female companionship, but some flip had been switched.

Hermione intervened, hoping to stop the spat in its tracks. “That's... understandable. I don't trust any of you either… At least not yet...”

What she said seemed to do the trick, the cautious mood lifted and the twins started to converse with their dates. She felt the continued death glares that came from both sides of her but refused to give in and look at either Draco or Theodore. Instead she started to people watch, taking in the otherwise jovial surroundings in an attempt to lighten her dejected spirits. Eventually Ginny and Dean showed up and joined Parvati and Cormac. The ease in which they all settled into jokes and friendly comradery made her want to join them.

The animosity between Nott and Zabini faded rapidly and they had started to whisper about various people spread out in the crowd. They picked out who they thought would be worth the time of an introduction versus who’s importance was all publicity. Sometimes Blaise would ask for her opinion but she had grown bored with the appraisals quickly and found herself observing the small group of Gryffindors again and again.

“Miss ‘em?” 

Draco’s whispered question made her jump and she instinctively glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. Her surprised reaction broke the frosty exterior she had tried so hard to build up and she couldn’t look away. “No…”

She wanted to be able to tell him that she missed him, or the him that he was allowed to be when they were alone. It was a dangerous thought and one that she would probably never be able to indulge publicly. Even if everything came together in the way that she hoped it would, she doubted he would want anyone to know how they had really come to realize their feelings for one another.

For a singular moment Draco allowed the mask to slip and his eyes traveled from where her skirt disappeared under the tablecloth, all the way up to her lips, and in the end he locked gazes with her. “Good.”

Hermione swallowed hard as she watched him lounge back in his chair, the cocky parody of the wizard she knew back in place. She had to smother the sudden desire to straddle his hips and kiss him in front of everyone. Exhibitionism had never been one of her kinks, if anything it was a turnoff, yet the fleeting fantasy was enough to cause a hot blush to color her cheeks. 

Thankfully Slughorn decided that was the perfect time to interrupt, carting off the twins (and their dates) to meet some famous journalist from Malta that Flora was particularly excited about… Another long silence was interspersed by the continued ranking of party-goers by their companions. She found herself contemplating the best way to chip at the armor Draco refused to shed when Harry and Luna slipped through the door.

The pair were instantly caught by Slughorn, who was absolutely giddy to be able to promote his newly acquired star student. Harry’s discomfort with the ogling attention was plain to see and he started to search for a proper excuse to leave almost immediately. Any pretense that they were hidden in their tucked away corner was shattered when the first thing he saw was their odd little assembly. He rudely disengaged from the conversation. Pulling a distracted Luna away from the vampire she had been surveying much too close, he started in her direction.

She took a quick deep breath before plastering a smile onto her face. The cheery composure was completely faked as she sang. “Be _nice_ … All of you…”

And all that Hermione could do was hope they listened...


	4. Playing Games: Part Three

The intense hostility that surrounded her when Harry stepped up to the table was overwhelming. His glare was reciprocated by both Theodore and Draco, while Blaise just looked bored with the whole thing. Luna, being her normal self, took no notice of the strain and gave the gathering a timid smile. “Good evening.”

“Hi Luna!” Hermione quickly interjected. “Hi Harry!”

“Have you met that vampire, Sanguini, yet?” Luna asked, glancing over her shoulder at the tall emaciated figure that was encircled by admirers. “Daddy says that someone in his coven was the one who recruited Scrimgeour.”

“Oh, okay…” Having gotten used to Luna and her father’s more outlandish theories, Hermione knew it was better to not ask questions of the young witch. Some things were better left unanswered…

Unfortunately, Nott didn’t know any better. He laughed cruelly and sneered. “Scrimgeour isn’t a vampire, Looney.”

“Do. Not. Call. Her. That.” Harry snapped angrily, not looking at the wizard, as he continued the rigid glare off with Draco that had been taking place since he first approached. 

“It’s quite alright, Harry.” Luna said, patting Harry’s arm in a palliative gesture as she stared Theodore Nott right in the eye. “What is a good nickname between friends? Don’t you agree, Teddybear?”

Hermione bit down on her bottom lip to stop herself from joining Blaise in laughing over the playful jest. She felt the makings of a ritual taunt for any future hazings…

Blaise surprised her by leaning over and playfully demanding, “I like this one, Hermione. You should bring  _ her _ around more often.”

“Only if you can  _ behave _ …” Her accusatory look shifted to each of the remaining Slytherins surrounding her. First a shocked-looking Blaise. Then a guilty Theodore. And finally Draco, who ignored her in favor of the ongoing silent battle of wills with Harry.

Luna gave one of her dreamy sighs and nodded slowly. “That might be fun. As long you promise to keep the Bloody Baron away.”

"Why?"

"I am not sure why, but he gives me the creeps." The girl said with an unashamed shrug. "Oh look, Professor Trelawney is available for a chat…"

Without another thought, Luna wandered away, heading in the direction of the highly inebriated teacher. The theatrical quack was leaned up against the golden fabric that covered the stone walls from view, her hands twisting around one another as she surveyed the congested throng of party-goers. Hermione had never been a fan of the less-than-stellar Divination instructor, who preferred to spread petty parlor tricks over educating students on the complexities of soothsaying.

Luna’s departure seemed to spur something inside of Harry and, at long last, his bright green eyes locked on her own. He hesitated for a single second before shamelessly asking, “You know that you don’t have to do this, right?”

“I do…” 

Her simple answer was just as loaded as his complex question. She knew that her predicament was a choice made in haste and, of course, she knew that she didn't have to follow through. And yet she  _ wanted _ to… Even with all her fears and the unavoidable negative feelings between houses, it was still the right thing to do.

"Then don't…?" Harry practically begged. The hurt he felt because of her disloyalty finally broke across his face.

She stayed quiet, unsure of how to explain so that he would be able to understand…

"Granger is a big girl, Potter." Draco purred from her side. "She is exactly where she wants to be."

"Nobody asked you, Malfoy!"

"That's where you are wrong… She is the one who asked for this date, or did you manage to forget?" Draco's hooded glare turned ice cold as the two boys verbally sparred.

Harry’s shoulders squared and he leaned forward, practically whispering his reply. “Only because she feels bad for such a useless inbred piece of sh…”

Before he could finish the insult Draco rolled his eyes and smirked. “Would you like to know what else your little know-it-all offered?”

Hermione’s eyebrows came together in confusion while she sat there watching them squabble over her as if she wasn’t sitting right there. Her bafflement deepened when Draco snaked his arm along the back of her chair and wrapped his thin fingers around her shoulder in a dominant display of possession. Was he really touching her in public for the first time solely to get a rise out of Harry?

Instant annoyance at the thought had her shrugging off the short lived contact. He didn’t take the hint and left his arm draped on the chair. His hand hung slack off the back of it, that way his thumb could lazily trace little circles along the skin of her tricep. 

When Harry didn’t respond except to clench his jaw, Draco tilted his head as his smirk turned purely salacious, “Miss Granger invited me to use Veritaserum on her and I might take her up on the offer… Learn all her dirty secrets before sending her on her way, but honestly… I think playing around with Imperio would end up being much more fun.”

“Stop it! Right this instant!” She interrupted shrilly, eyes wide at just how far Draco's bravado had pushed past some unspoken boundary that had never been crossed before.

Harry's shaking hand disappeared into the pockets of his dress robes, grabbing for the wand that was hidden within the folds of dark fabric, causing Hermione to scramble to her feet. Her desperate warning was barely above a whisper as she tried to modulate her tone. "Harry…"

He stood there, frozen in indecision. She could tell how badly he wanted to curse the wizard at her side and she didn’t blame him one iota. Hell, she had wanted to join him.... But nothing good would come about if she allowed herself to fall prey to her anger. Very slowly she lifted her hands up until her elbows were bent at her sides in a soothing gesture, intentionally blocking the view of the Slytherin so Harry had to look at her.

“It would be best if we took a walk… Yes?”

Every muscle in Harry’s body was taut with tension. It almost looked as if he was vibrating from the internal war with himself, but he gave her a curt nod of acknowledgement. He watched suspiciously as her hands fell back down and she made her way around the circular table until she was standing next to him. 

When his eyes flashed back to the boys behind her to give one last scowl, she shook her head in exasperation and started towards the table where Luna and Trelawney had sat down. The pair of witches were in the middle of an animated conversation and did not notice as Hermione stopped and waited a short distance away. 

A string of mumbled profanities followed Harry’s reluctant advancement and by the time he stood in front of her he looked oddly flustered. There was a moment of hesitation before he blurted out, “What was he talking about?”

“It… It was a bad joke at lunch.” She admitted. Staring over his shoulder at nothing so she was able to avoid the disappointment she knew would be written all over her best friend’s face.

“Since when do you joke about stuff like that, Hermione?”

“Malfoy took it out of context. All he wants is to make you angry!”

“Yeah! Well…  _ It’s working _ !!” Harry shouted at her. The look of alarmed shock on his face mirrored her own and he took a step back to gather his raging thoughts. 

“You shouldn’t let it, Harry. I swear it was just a show to get a reaction out of you. The prat hasn’t said five words to me yet…” She finally looked him in the eye, trying to offer some type of reassurance.

“Promise?” For a second, the brotherly affection he had for her shone from his eyes but he quickly became embarrassed and shrugged. “Because if he hurts you…”

“I promise. He isn’t going to hurt me. If anything, he will go back to pretending I do not exist as soon as you start to ignore him.” Hermione coaxed him back down to reason. Forgiving the outburst before Harry could go through the effort of an apology.

Harry gave a heavy sigh but nodded. "Okay…"

"Chin up, Potter. You have your own date to show a good time and fret over." She said, raising her own head high in example as a playful grin turned up the corners of her mouth.

"True…" He peeked over at the witch, who was discreetly watching the two of them while continuing her conversation. The shimmering silver of her dress robes sparkled in the candlelight and when combined with her long nearly white hair, Luna looked otherworldly. One look at her peculiar wide-eyed beauty and muggles would never again be able to deny the reality of magic.

Proud of herself for quelling yet another potential catastrophe, her smile broadened and she gestured toward their mutual friend, “Have fun! See you later.” 

“Yeah, see you.” Harry surrendered and headed off to join the two bizarre companions.

Hermione turned around and made her way back to the waiting Slytherins. All three of the wizards scrutinized her approach but didn’t break stride in their conversation when she sat down.

“...isn’t it boomslang, heat and then bicorn?”

“No! Its heat, bicorn and then boomslang.”

“You both are idiots…” Draco muttered, annoyed with the pair's obvious ineptitude. 

“It’s actually boomslang skin, bicorn horn and then heat...” Hermione interjected. Smirking as Theodore and Blaise looked at her blankly, clearly thinking she wouldn’t have been able to pick up what they were talking about with the limited information provided. “Part Two, Step One of the recipe for Polyjuice Potion… Three measures of boomslang skin, one measure of crushed bicorn horn and twenty seconds of heat.”

Nott’s suspicious glare returned, “How do you know how to make Polyjuice?”

“What? Like it's hard?” She asked, tilting head to the side innocently.

“It’s restricted…”

“So as Prefect, I should be the one asking why you are going on about how to brew it, correct?”

“As the perfect Prefect of Gryffindor, you should concentrate your efforts on something important. Like how Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumb from the House of Weasels have managed to get their products past the updated security. Which poses an actual threat to the students here, instead of two imbeciles quizzing themselves on regulated spells and potions.” Draco smoothly tried to deflect, drumming his polished thumb against the tabletop in time with the music the band was currently playing.

“Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes poses a credible threat to Hogwarts?” There was no way to hide the astonishment she felt at the absurdity of accusation. So much so, she didn't even register the fact that the proud pureblood knew characters from a muggle fairytale...

He turned so he could rake her with another slow-moving appraisal that caused her to squirm involuntarily. “Not directly, but it sure does poke a whole in the illusion of this place being a secured fortress, doesn’t it?

“I’m sure they are allowing them to pass. Give an inch so they don’t take a mile.”

He shook his head patronizingly and returned to staring out at the bedazzled congregation, "If you would prefer to believe that…"

"Thank you so much for the  _ permission _ . I will be sure to take it under consideration... Considering the source." She finally snapped. The need to keep sweet for the sake of appearances was momentarily overruled by her anger at his continued assholery. 

Blaise and Theodore quietly watched the acidic back and forth like a ping pong match. Nott sat there with his new found glare cemented in place, playing the role of unwanted bodyguard. While Zabini was much more relaxed, a trace of a knowing smirk lighting up his dark eyes.

“Good.” Draco muttered. It seemed as if he was entranced by the gatherings of famous witches and wizards from all over the world, but she would have bet a large amount of galleons that he would have been distracted by the silverware if it meant avoiding her righteous indignation.

Hermione huffed her dissent, but refused to say anything else. Afraid she would lose her temper completely and say something uncouth, a distinct possibility with the way he was pushing for a fight against those who had the misfortune of coming in contact with him. At that point she wouldn’t have been surprised if his behavior was punishment for her assuming he would be on board with her foolish scheming…

The night could not be over soon enough.

She immediately regretted the thought when a tall sulking figure broke from the throng of too close bodies in the middle of the room and swooped down on their table. The arrival of Snape did nothing to uplift the miserable spirits of the group, all four stared up at the imposing man quietly. None of them willing to be the sacrificial knight to risk pleasantries with the ill-tempered and noticeably irked professor.

“One must wonder how each of you have managed to avoid the grubby mitts of my mediocre replacement all night…” Snape drawled, the odd small talk a blatant excuse to analyze each of their stiff demeanors. 

“Luck, sir…” Draco spoke up, casting off the intimidation quickly. His normally respectful tone for the man was tinged with a tense difficulty that she had never heard before.

“It would be best to remember how fickle the tides of such trivial things are…” A blistering glare shifted onto her as Snape continued, “Isn’t that right Miss Granger?”

“Oh… Ummm?” Her heartbeat sped up inside her chest, making it nearly impossible to breathe and think at the same time. The innate drive to know the correct answer to someone’s question, especially a teacher', caused her anxiety to spike to incapacitating levels. A flash of her failed practical exam at the end of third year caused the fear coursing through her veins to turn cold.

“Eloquent as always…” He rolled his eyes, clearly dismissing her when he turned back to Draco. “You and I need to speak privately… Now.”

“As you can plainly see, I am quite busy with my  _ date _ . Cannot it not wait until morning?” The young wizard challenged, disregarding all social norms and being outright disrespectful to his superior.

“It cannot.” Snape stated, his mouth a thin line of disapproval as he whipped around and marched from the room. Harry was right… There were times when the professor was being particularly histrionic, that his long black robes would billow out behind him and it really did make him reminiscent of a monstrous sized bat…

Draco stayed sitting for a few moments, but when his Head of House disappeared out the door he gave a heavy sigh. Wordlessly he stood up and followed the route of his predecessor, not once looking back to see her reaction. Indistinguishable from the picture of perfect ease that had entered the room, no one but the three that were left behind, would ever be able to tell he was in for it. 

Except Harry Potter, of course…

  
  


**-/\\- -/\\- -/\\- -/\\- -/\\- -/\\- -/\\- -/\\- -/\\- -/\\-**

After Harry had disappeared behind the pair, his hand literally clutched around nothing, Hermione knew exactly what he was planning to do. She had rudely dismissed herself with some unconvincing lies that she couldn’t remember seconds after muttering. Neither Blaise nor Theodore attempted to stop her from following the parade, but by the time she had managed to make it through the crowd and out the door there was no indication of which passage she needed to take. 

Not that she had any idea on how she was supposed to stop her invisible friend or help Draco out of the trouble he had gotten himself into with his mouth. So she stayed close by the wooden door, banking on the slim chance that one of them would show up and clue her in on what had happened. Admittedly, she wanted it to be her hero. She wouldn’t get another chance to fix whatever she had broken between them at lunch before the real world separated them. For all she knew going home might trigger him to hate her again and then she would be all alone, without the distraction that he provided for her... Alone in the hell that was quickly becoming her life. 

She wanted the chance to tell him she didn't want that...

A good twenty minutes went by with no sounds of approach, the only thing to break the deafening silence was the random muffled outburst from the party. She knew that she couldn't stand there forever. Someone was bound to leave the festivities or happen upon her standing there like a fool with no good excuse. Just as she was about to give in and head up to the common room she heard the sound she had been waiting for. Light footsteps against stone!

Hermione looked up from the patch of darkness she had been staring into and took in the willowy frame that materialized. It was as if she had willed the harsh wizard into existence with her obsessive thoughts, pulling him to stand directly in front of her. She watched as the icy facade cracked in his eyes and they started their odd swirling dance again; there was so much anger and... and... and fear, that it took her breath away.

"What's... What's wrong?" She asked, concerned at his state.

He didn't answer her, instead his hand wrapped around her lower back and pulled her roughly against him. A shocked small squeak escaped from between her lips, but when she went to protest his mouth claimed hers. There was no other word for it. He wasn't gentle as he coaxed her lips to allow his tongue entrance. It was the brutish kiss she had thought their first would be. He remorselessly took, moving their lips and tongues in the ways that  _ he _ wanted them to. And for some reason she let him…

Rather than push him away- she moaned into the kiss as one of his hands moved to the back of her neck, pulling her even harder against him. She couldn’t protest. She knew the look he had given her. She had seen it in the mirror too many times when she was teetering on the edge of an attack. Stuck in that moment when everything had become too much and was crashing down around her... So she let him take whatever he needed. A willing participant to his domination. 

Draco slipped his other arm from around her waist and pushed her up against the wall. She was suspended in his ravaging need for what felt like far too long and yet not nearly long enough… He thrust forward, pressing his hips to her stomach. The added weight dug the skin of her back into the sharp ridges of stone and she couldn't stop the gasp of pain that broke free. At the sound he instantly pulled away, putting a good foot between them. His breath left him in shaky gasps as he tried to reign his emotions back under control.

Her heart beat so hard that she felt lightheaded. Her legs trembled, forcing her to stay where she was propped up against the freezing cold wall. Between her own pants for air she whispered. "Are you okay?"

Instead of answering her inquiry, he slipped his hand in hers and pulled her along until they came to the closest unused room- an empty closet that must have been used for storage at some point. Her mind drifted as she wondered why there were so many unused rooms in the castle. It was almost as if the faculty was trying to entice students to sneak away and get up to trouble…

He opened the door and waited for her to enter like the gentleman he had been raised to be. She quickly stepped into the pitch black space. Unable to see she pulled her wand from the waistband of her dress and muttered a Lumos charm. It was cramped and covered in dust but suitable enough for a conversation.

Draco followed her in and closed the door quietly behind him. He stared at her in the soft white light that emanated from her wand tip for a moment before removing his robes and tossing the garment to the floor. He toed the fabric into the space between the ground and the edge of the door, blocking the light from anyone who happened to pass by.

Her eyebrow raised at the action and she playfully teased, “What would your mother say about such disregard for  _ designer _ robes, Draco?”

“I think she would be more concerned over who my companion is than the state of my robes, Granger.” 

Hermione’s cheeks flared and she was thankful for the limited illumination. “I suppose so…”

He leaned against the door leisurely, his arms crossed over his chest and a smug smirk resting on his lips. A completely different person than the out of control raider from the hallway. He stayed mute as he let his shadowed eyes travel from the tips of her toes all the way up her body until he met her own. 

“What happened then?” She asked the same question in a different way for the third time. Now resolute in her quest to figure out what had upset him to the point he was willing to risk the exposure of their dalliances for a moment of fictitious control.

“Nothing to worry your pretty little head over, Kitten.” He said dismissively. 

She rolled her eyes and scoffed at the idea she might give up that easily. “Yes, because that isn’t suspicious…”

“What would you like me to say?” Draco gave an annoyed sigh when she didn’t answer him, but continued carefully. “He... wanted to privately cross boundaries and bestow unwanted advice.”

“Unwanted advice?”

Slowly he stood to his full height and took the few steps forward it took to close the short distance between them. His unyielding stare was hypnotic as he whispered, “Like how you will only prove to be a distraction and I should keep my distance.”

“So why did you choose not to listen?” She asked, breathless from his close proximity.

He reached up and brushed a fallen curl behind her ear. “I didn’t feel like giving up the short amount of time I had with the only thing that makes me want to come back to this hellhole.” 

“The  _ only _ thing? That is rather sad, don’t you think? Maybe you should be taking advantage of my offer this afternoon. It might help give you more worthy incentives to return than a backstabbing harlot.” Her mischievous teasing words matched the taunting smirk that slipped across her lips.

His tone was measured when he responded, as if he didn’t want her to know how much the answer mattered to him. “Is that what they are calling you now?”

“Not yet, but I am sure it’s coming after tonight.” If the ugly looks that were casually tossed towards their corner most of the night had been any indication, her descriptors would be mild in comparison to what was going to come from those who hated her long-term plan.

“Then why did you ask?”

“For you…”

Draco rolled his steely gray eyes as he muttered a skeptical, “Bullshit…”

“No, I’m serious! If you take out the fact that it was the perfect cover to spend time together publicly… I want to help. Does that extend to anyone in Slytherin who feels like they are stuck making the choice everyone expects of them? Of course… But I risked everything to give  _ you _ the chance to prove you are not a villain. To… To show  _ them _ the person I’ve started to get to know.” She rambled. Unsure if her chaotic thoughts would make sense to him when they barely made any sense to her. 

The hard mask slipped effortlessly into place and he glared down at her, all traces of  _ her _ Draco gone in the time it took her to choke out her reasoning. His outrage was made even more frightening when he calmly stated. “I didn't ask you to do that.”

She took a startled step back and knocked into the empty shelving behind her. With the only path of escape blocked by his body, she nodded. “I know and that is why you don't have to take it. We could come back from holiday and go right back to the way things were. Or… You could take the time to think about it over break."

"Considering the nature of your publicized proposition, I am sure that I must give it some thought." Instantly the anger fled from his features, replaced with a cheeky smirk. “Besides, I shouldn’t get too offended… I  _ was _ ready to crash the celebrations in the hopes of getting the chance to hex McLaggen into the afterlife.”

“Wh… What? Why?”

His claim was baffling enough, without the emotional rollercoaster she was grudgingly forced to ride along with him. Her line of questioning had been brilliant, of course, but she wasn’t prepared for an admission that sounded too close to jealousy to believe. There was no way on the Gods’ green Earth that Draco Malfoy was jealous of  _ Cormac McLaggen _ . None!

“Why not? He has quite the annoying face…” His eyes narrowed infinitesimally in disapproval, but he kept his demeanor nonchalant as he avoided the whole truth.

“A transgression worthy of death by numerous unspecified hexes.” She nodded slowly, as if it all made perfect sense.

Draco's low responding chuckle set something primal off within her. She had to bite down on her bottom lip to distract herself from the sudden need to close the empty space and climb him for a pornographic kiss. Her mind almost imploded when he reached up and cupped the side of her face, his thumb trailing slowly along the line of her lip that was still visible as he whispered, “No, hexing the bastard would have everything to do with his audacity to think your value is to serve as pretty arm candy to impress those he deems influential acquaintances.”

Hermione wanted to roll her eyes at the assumption but was distracted by the abandoned flame that entered his eyes when she relaxed enough for her lip to slip from between her teeth under his simple ministrations. She pushed up onto the tips of her toes and whimpered softly when she wasn’t quite tall enough to press her lips to his. 

“Say please…” He purred as his eyebrow raised in a teasing challenge.

“I am not Pansy, Draco. I will not grovel for your affection.”

When she went to pull away from him, he wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned in so he could whisper in her ear. “What if I like it when  _ you _ beg?”

In that moment, with her body sensually pressed against him, the realization of just how far she had fallen became crystal clear and she knew what she needed to do. A deep shuddering breath entered her lungs and she started, knowing he wasn’t prepared for the blithering idiot she was about to become. “Okay… Draco…  _ Please _ … I am begging for you to really take the time to think this over. If you wanted, we could go to Dumbledore as soon as we return and I can guarantee he will figure out some way to keep you and your mother safe.”

He responded by pulling back slightly. His jaw clenched so tightly that the tendons in his neck flexed as he attempted to understand how the naughty moment had turned so quickly.

“The choice to trust us… To trust  _ me _ is ultimately yours, but I cannot allow myself to give you any more power to break me than you already have.” Hermione continued. Before he was able to assemble any type of rebuttal, she moved her free hand up and laced her fingers into his hair. Gathering chunks of the soft blonde locks in a tight grip she then used as leverage to pull him down so their lips almost touched. “Besides that would make one hell of a late present, right?”

She gave him a quick chaste kiss and let go before twisting out his hold. With a few silent flicks of her wand the door slid open the necessary margin needed to fit through, which she promptly took advantage of, calling out over her shoulder.

“Happy Christmas Draco…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think of this peek into what could have happened? All that I know is I enjoyed writing it!
> 
> As always...  
> Much love to every single one of you, 
> 
> SlytherclawLuv


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